This Big Fake World: A Story in Verse (Pearl Poetry Prize Series)

Oh, you will love these narrative poems. They are lean and poetic and delicious...something to sip on with a cup of hot tea. I have been inspired to write poetic narratives to go with art, sculpture and jazz in the past, and these poems seem to effortless take the idea of life as poem to deliver in the pages of this lovely collection. It opened the door wide on the beauty and magic in ordinary life. One poem it ends with: "...and she could make him into anything she wanted, a bear, a lawn mower, a glass table,a window out of which she could jump." mmmmm, nice. Thank you, Ada Limon!

I have loved this for several years and I realized I should let you all know. This book is a story, told in a series of poems. It came to me at a time in my life when I needed to read it, and it helped me do some difficult things. Ada Limon writes with a voice that is somehow also my inner voice, saying things that resonate with me on a level deeper than words. She speaks the language of my feelings. This story is beautiful, heartbreaking, uplifting, funny, at different times. I have to read it judiciously now because it affects me so much. But I have shared it with many people who I felt needed to read it, and it has meant a lot to each of them, as well.

Great, that is, GREAT POETRY!!!

The cardinal rule for great writing is "show don't tell," and tbfw shows why the rule works. The four characters in the book move through their world subconsciously, seeking meaning and love to hold their lives together--like the seminal nails of the book's hardware store. But as readers, we're never directly told this, we only follow along on their search--which is simultaneously hilarious and vital. The read feels so easy and smooth, it makes the emotional impact of these very perceptive poems that much more profound. This is gorgeous, touching exploration of the greater meanings hidden within the smallest objects and gestures.